Grand Masters of Design

Bold colors and grand gestures typify the seductive and often eye-popping interiors Britt has been conjuring since he opened his firm in 1964. There’s quite a bit of Venetian-style swagger in this Kansas City, Missouri, native’s palatial oeuvre, which has bedazzled high-flying clients such as U.S. ambassador Charles H. Price II and the Rajmata of Jaipur; thomasbritt.com.

Photographer: Peter Vitale

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Mario Buatta

The celebrated Prince of Chintz aces traditional interiors; his flowery patterns, lacquered walls, and stylish clutter put an exuberant American spin on classic Anglo charm. No one is better at conjuring cozy, cosseting rooms or is more adept at vivid color schemes. It’s no wonder his clients include Barbara Walters and Mariah Carey. Rumor has it that a volume about Buatta’s trendsetting, high-profile career is in the pipeline at the book publisher Rizzoli.

Photographer: Nicholas Johnson/ Courtesy of Mario Buatta

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David Easton

A keen reverence for 18th-century neoclassicism infuses Easton’s widely admired work, which includes architecture and gardens as well as interior design. Gracious riffs on Anglo-American elegance are his modus operandi, with cozy, treasure-laden rooms full of rich woods and subtly patterned fabrics. Easton’s most famous creation is Albemarle House, a stately Georgian Revival country residence he designed for socialite Patricia Kluge, which was recently put up for sale; davideastoninc.com.

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Mica Ertegün

Cofounder of MAC II with the late Chessy Rayner, the Romanian-born Ertegün is known for luxurious yet cerebral interiors that are as cosmopolitan as she is. Her firm’s uptown philosophy emphasizes low-key fabrics, gutsy furniture of wide-ranging periods (Charles X to Swedish modern), and unexpected accents, such as a tailored modern sofa upholstered in silky Moroccan rugs.

Photographer: Marianne Haas

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Mariette Himes Gomez

Rational and restful, Gomez’s cool, generally monochromatic rooms bear witness to the clarity she learned in the office of modernist architect Edward Durell Stone—shapely upholstery often inspired by past eras (Georgian, Victorian) offset by graphic works of art and restrained wood furniture. The inviting comfort level, however, reflects Gomez’s years working at the legendary design firm, Parish-Hadley Assoc.; gomezassociates.com.

Photographer: Scott Francis

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Albert Hadley

The courtly doyen of American interior design keeps making it look easy more than 50 years after he picked up his first fabric swatch. Hadley’s modern spaces are sharp, smart, and graphic, while more classic projects—such as his iconic brass-and-red-lacquer library for Brooke Astor—are rendered out-of-the-ordinary thanks to hallmark touches of genius; alberthadley.com.

Photographer: Fernando Bengoechea

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William Hodgins

Trained in the classical manner at the legendary Parish-Hadley Assoc., the Canadian-born, Boston-based Hodgins is renowned for his clear-eyed takes on Anglo-American tradition. Among his blue-chip clients are ambassador and investment banker Felix G. Rohatyn and former Sotheby’s chairman A. Alfred Taubman.

Often called the decorator’s decorator, Los Angeles–based Tarlow accepts very few jobs, but each one is a certified gem, whether a contemporary flat on Fifth Avenue or a country house with classical overtones. The styles are different, but certain elements are constant—smart modern furniture, handsome antiques with well-loved patinas (or skillful look-alikes from her own furniture line), and a strong sense of emotion and mood. Her book, The Private House (Clarkson Potter, 2001), is required reading, and her furniture and accessories company, Rose Tarlow Melrose House, is a magnet for style hounds; rosetarlow.com.